Extra-Curricular

Extra Lessons

The Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby Music department provides

Instrumental and vocal lessons which are heavily subsidised. We are the only school within the County that provides this service. We have a team of 13 peripatetic teachers providing tuition on all Brass, Woodwind, Percussion instruments, Piano, Bass Guitar and Voice.

When pupils have made sufficient progress with an instrument, they are invited to join our Junior and Intermediate Bands. We have over 150 pupils who perform regularly in the local area and also at National and International levels.

The academy funds instrumental and vocal lessons and instrument hire which is a major factor in enabling Abraham Darby Music Department to take the senior bands to some of the finest concert venues in this country and the world, including :-

Royal Albert Hall, London.

Royal Festival Hall, London.

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

Royal Academy of Music, London.

Winter Gardens, Blackpool.

Royal Northern College of

Music, Manchester.

Royal Scottish Academy of

Music & Drama, Glasgow.

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

Carnegie Hall, New York.

Westminster Hall, London.

We have also performed in many countries overseas, during the past 20 years we have visited:-

The Bahamas, Florida, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Euro Disney, Paris, Austria, Belgium and New York.

Both Showband and Jazz Band have performed recently in the prestigious Music for Youth Schools’ Proms Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The Showband also performed in the World Music Contest in Holland in 2013 and 2017. The Showband completed a successful music tour of Paris in July 2015, giving concerts by the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.

They are current recipients of a national platinum award at the national concert band festival of Great Britain. In April 2018 the Showband was presented with a consistent outstanding achievement award for gaining the top Platinum award for three consecutive years. They have since won the top platinum award in 2019, 2022, 2023.

Your child also has the possibility of obtaining access to an instrument (subject to availability, although we do have a very good collection of instruments), which they can hire whilst at Abraham Darby. This will only cost £100 for the whole of the time they are here!

Another feature of instrumental lessons is that most of them happen at Saturday Morning Music College. This means that the vast majority of pupils are not removed from their curriculum lessons to receive instrumental tuition.

Music Ensembles

The school has several ensembles which perform on a regular basis in school, throughout the local area, in national & international festivals. They consist of:

Showband – The school’s premier wind band (entry by audition only)

Senior Jazz Band – (entry by audition only)

Senior Brass Band – entry level grade 2

Saxophone Ensemble – entry level grade 3

Percussion Ensemble – entry level grade 3

Senior Woodwind Ensemble – entry level grade 3

Friday Band – Intermediate wind Band

Junior Jazz Band – entry level grade 2

C Z Band – Beginner Brass Band – entry level grade 2

Megaband – Beginner wind band – entry level grade 1

Choir – Anyone who enjoys singing

HAD SHOWBAND

The Academy’s Showband has had the fortunate opportunity of performing twice at Carnegie Hall, New York in the last fifteen years, winning a Gold Award in New York Band Festival in 2007 and then performing in the Showcase evening concert at the New York Band Festival in 2010. For the past eleven years the Showband has performed at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, and in 2012 represented England in the Commonwealth Carnival of Music in Westminster Hall, London for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

In July 2013 the Showband travelled to Kerkrade, Holland where it competed in the 3rd Division of the World Music Contest and was awarded a top gold award. It has competed in this contest at least 5 times in the last 20 years. The Showband gained a silver award in 2017 but is still ranked the highest school wind band in the UK.

The Showband has had much success over the past 25 years within the National Festival of Music for Youth and in July 2013 won the ‘Innovation Award’ for performance in the school wind band category and in July 2015 gained the ‘Performance Practice’ award. Due to their successful performance in the finals of the Music for Youth Festival in both July 2016 & 2018, the showband was invited to perform twice in the Music for Youth Proms Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, both of which were magical occasions. Another highlight of the Showband’s history is when it was invited to perform at the Lord Mayor’s Show at Paternoster Square, London in 2019. The invite came through school’s sponsors: The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.

In March of this year Showband had the privilege of performing for HM Queen Consort Camilla , when she visited the Library at Southwater, in Telford. She was very complimentary towards the band members and was grateful for our playing. The Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby Showband has enjoyed much success within the National Concert Band Festival of Great Britain for many years. The Showband gained a top platinum award for the third consecutive year in the finals of the National Concert Band Festival in April 2018. This led to them gaining the consistent outstanding achievement award. The Showband has gained a top platinum award at 2019, 2022 & 2023 finals of the National Concert Band Festival at the Royal Northern college of music, Manchester.

HAD JAZZ BAND

The Abraham Darby senior jazz band was formed about 30 years ago. It plays a varied repertoire including: swing, soul, funk, pop & rock. Over the years the band has built up an excellent reputation, not just in its own area, but performing in many festivals including Music for Youth, National Concert Band Festival and more recently at the Great North Big Band Festival.

For the last twelve years the jazz band has participated in the Great North Big Band Competition in Sunderland, where they have won best band on five occasions including March this year. In addition, they have also received awards in the past for best bass player; best bass trombone/tuba; best drummer; best programme and best soloist.

In 2014 & 2015 the band won the performance practice award at national festival of Music for Youth. Due to the band’s success within this competition in November 2017 the senior jazz band was invited to perform at the Music for Youth Schools Proms concert in the Royal Albert Hall, London, which was a brilliant experience for all of the young musicians. On three occasions in recent years the senior jazz band has gained the top platinum award at the finals of the National Concert Band Festival resulting in them receiving the outstanding consistent achievement award in April 2019. The band achieved the top platinum award at the national finals last year and gained a gold award in April 2023 at the Royal Northern college of Music, Manchester.

Music Support

SMADA are a friendly group of parents who support the music department at Abraham Darby. They meet once a month, usually on a Monday evening, at the school and have assisted the department in numerous ways over the past 40+ years.

Here is a small selection of the ways SMADA help music making at Abraham Darby:

• Volunteers run a tuck-shop during Saturday Morning Music College.
• Provide refreshments and sell band merchandise at concerts.
• Organise lunches when the bands have weekend rehearsals.
• Organise other fund raising activities such as Jazz Cabaret nights,
• Summer Barbecue and the School Christmas Fare.

In fact, everyone on SMADA uses their own talent to help in whatever way they can. They are always looking for new members to help. Please speak to a SMADA member or call the Music department on 01952 386049 for further details. Email address is: HADMusicContact@taw.org.uk

The Future

Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby music department is equipped in a brand new purpose-built block, complete with the latest music ICT resources, recording studio, instruments and rehearsal and performance space.

Your child will have the opportunity to experience learning music in an environment which will enable them to achieve their full potential to enjoy music to the maximum.

The Abraham Darby Showband are touring Belgium in the summer of 2026. If your child would like to be part of this wonderful opportunity, we encourage them to start learning a brass, woodwind or percussion instrument as soon as they join the academy.

The music department at Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby provides opportunities for youngsters above and beyond any other school in the country so, please encourage your child to make the most of what is on offer and become part of the team that is renowned for its musical excellence.